Rack



w. J. FISHEL Feb. 8, 1944.

RACK Filed April 26, '1943 JAVTTORNEYS.

Patented Feb. 8, 1944 OFFICE RACK William J. Fishel, Winston-Salem, N. 0. Application April 26, 1943, Serial No. 484,623

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a rack designed primarily for holding heavy, slender articles on end, such as pipes, axles, rods, etc.

An object of the invention is to provide a rack which will tightly grip th inserted articles and support them in upstanding positions.

Another object is to provide a rack which is ferent diameters or thicknesses.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds,

invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawing the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a portion of a rack embodying the present improvements, one of the gripping elements being shown in engagement with a supported article.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical section illustrating one of the units of the rack, the same being shown by full lines in normal position and by dotted lines in loaded or gripping position.

Figure 3 is a section through a portion of one of the units.

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of said unit.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, I designates the body portion of the rack form of a box of sheet metal of any proportions desired. This body or casing is provided with a horizontal partition 2 spaced from and parallel with the top of the body and having spaced openings 3 which are coaxial with other openings 4 formed in the top of the body. The openings 3 are of less diameter than the openings 4 and each pair of openings comprising a top opening 4 and a lower opening 3 is adapted to receive one of the holding units of the rack.

As shown particularly in Fig. 2 the holding unit includes a funnel-like base 5 the small lower end of which opens into a tubular stem 6 which is slidable within the opening 3 and is limited in its upward movement by a transverse pin 7 extended through the stem and 2. A coiled spring 8 is mounted on the stem and is interposed between the funnel 5 and the partition 2 so as port for the unit.

Extended upwardly from the wall of the unit are elongated, resilient arms 9 which extend to constitute a yielding sup- Any desired number of these units can be located in the rack, one being provided for each object to be supported and obviously objects of different thicknesses or diameters can be inserted into any one of the units provided the diameter is less than the normal arms 9 when in their normal or raised positions.

The pin 1 serves to limit the upward movement of the unit under the action of the tensioned spring 8.

What is claimed is:

1. A rack of the class described including a casing, a rigid member secured to the casing be low the top thereof, there being coaxial openings in said member and top, a unit within the casing including a centering element. a stem thereon guided within the opening in the member, yielding means on the stem for supporting said element, resilient arms extending from said element and through the opening in the top, and outwardly extended wedges carried by the arms and normally extended above the rack in position for downward wedging engagement with the walls of the opening in the top.

2. A rack for supporting long, slender articles, including a casing, a partition below and parallel with the top of the casing and secured to the casing, coaxial openings in the partition and the top of the casing, a conical unit interposed between said partition and the top of the casing, means depending therefrom for guiding the unit in the opening of the partition, a resilient support on the partition for the conical unit, resilient arms extended upwardly from said unit through the opening in the top of the casing, and means carried by the arms and cooperating with the wall of the top opening, for deflecting the arms inwardly toward each other when the unit is depressed under the weight of an article inserted between the arms and onto the unit.

3. The combination with a rack including a casing having a top opening and an apertured portion beneath the top of the casing, of a funnelshaped centering element within the apertured portion and coaxial with the top opening, yieldable supporting means mounted on the apertured portion, relatively movable arms extending upwardly from said element and through the top opening, and means carried by the arms and cooperating with the wall of the opening for deflecting the arms inwardly toward each other when the unit is subjected to the weight of an article interposed between the arms, thereby to grip the object between said arms.

4. A rack for supporting long, slender articles on end which includes a casing having a top opening, a funnel-like unit within the casing and coaxial with the opening, said unit having a. depending stem, means for guiding the stem for up and down sliding movement, a yielding support for the unit mounted on the stem, arms extending upwardly from the unit and through the opening, wedges extending outwardly from the arms and positioned for deflection inwardly toward each other by the wall of the opening when the unit is depressed under the weight of an object inserted between the arms, said arms, when deflected, constituting means for gripping the inserted element;

WM. J. FISHEL. 

